Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. RDHRBACH.

GAR GQUPLING.

110.462,511, Patented N0v.3,1891.

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(No Model.) GI ROHRBACHI A 2 sheets-sheet 2. l

GAR COUPLING.

110.462,511. Patented N0v.3, 1891.

WIT/VESSES: I/VI/E/VOl? A TTRNEYS.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GABRIEL ROHRBACH, OF DEL RIO, TEXAS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,511, dated November3, 1891,

Application filed May 6,1891. Serial No. 391,766. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ wiz/0m t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GABRIEL ROHRBAGH, of Del Rio, in the county of ValVerde and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement inCar-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

-The object of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, andconvenient caiL coupling which will afford means to automaticallyconnect cars and release them in a safe manner from the roof'or side ofa car, a further object being to adapt the improved coupling forconnection with one of the ordinary type with a link and pin.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combinationof parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures and letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a broken sectional side elevation, taken on the line y y inFig. 2, of two of the couplings applied to connect cars of differingheight. Fig. 2 is a broken sectional plan view of the same, taken on theline :r or. in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a broken sectional side elevation ofone of the couplings adjusted in a level position. Fig. 4E is a frontelevation of a car having the coupling applied, showing the devices foroperating the coupling from the side or top of the car. Fig. 5 is abroken horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5 5 in Fig. 4; andFig. G is a broken front elevation of a car, showing a modied form oflocking device for the coupling.

The draw-head A of the improved coupling is preferably cast into formfrom suitable metal and is rectangular in crosssection, having fourwalls that are. integral. Each side wall a and the top wall l) areflared at their outer ends to facilitate the introduction of a couplingdraw-bar B,which will be further described. All the draw-head walls arepreferably converged toward the rear end of the same, where an end wallc is formed, which closes the hollow drawhead at this point. At aproper' distance from the wall c another transverse wall (l is formedwithin the draw-head, and the side walls ct are removed between thewalls c d, for a purpose that will appear.

The forward chamber or throat e of the draw-head A is open at the front,and the lower wall g of the same is cut away or entirely removed from asuitable point t forwardly, thus affording freedom for the reception ofa rocking jaw A', which is an essential feature of the invention.

As represented, the jaw A consists, essentially, of a iiat plate fz',that -is shaped on its side edges to loosely fit between the side wallsa of the draw-head A, from which edges similar depending flanges m areprojected, which are sloped forwardly and downwardly on their loweredges from the top plate i', at its rear edge t', to the junctiontherewith of the forward edges 2, these upright walls or flanges m beingoutwardly flared to correspond with the similar formation on the frontends of the side walls ct.

The jaw A is supported to .rock within the throat of the draw-head A bythe insertion. of a pivot-bolt it through aligning perfor-ations madefor it in the draw-head side walls a and the flanges m of the jaw, thispoint of support being located near the longitudinal center of the plate'i and below it, so that the increase in width of the forward portion,together with the superior depth of the flanges m at their front ends,will by their gravity throw the front edge of the rocking jaw Adownwardly and the inner edge t" upwardly.

Between the transverse walls c (l and the top and bottom walls b g ofthe draw-headA two spring buffer-plates 0 are introduced, which projectat each end sufficiently to enter channels formed in two longitudinaland adjacent timbers C of the car C, between which the draw-head issustained by a crosspiece C2, that is secured on the timbers, or by anyother preferred means.

Then the cars upon which the improved coupling is to be placed Vareabnormally high or low, as compared with the usual height of thecar-timbers with the rails of the railroad, the draw-head on a high caris secured between two cro'ss-timbers C2 C3, which are of such arelative thickness and are so placed that the forward end of thedraw-head Awill be projected a proper distance below a hori- IOS c iscentrally perforated to align withsifnilar holes in the buffer-plates o,through which is inserted a guide-rod o', that has one end secured inthe cross-wall d, and between the plates o a spiral spring p is locatedupon the guide-rod, the force of which is adapted to spread the plates,which latter have contact with the shoulders q on the timbers C", saidshoulders being the terminals of the channels the buffer-plates slidein.

The draw-bar B is preferably made of wrought-iron and consists of aplate havingV substantially parallel top and bottom sides and thickenedend portions s, which are cut away to produce a locking-shoulder at s oneach-a proper distance from the ends of the portions s, that are taperedon their top and bottom surfaces from the shoulders mentioned to theterminal ends, there being lateral shoulders 32 formed on said endportions, as is indicated in Fig. 2. The draw-bar Bis centrally andlongitudinally slotted from two points equally distant from theshoulders s', said slot s3 having sufficient Width to freely receive anordinary coupling-pin, if such a means of coupling is necessary toconnect the improved coupling with an ordinary drawhead of thepin-and-link type, and to this end the top wall b and jaw-plate t' areeach perforated oppositely, as shown in Figs. l and 2, so that acoupling-pin may be utilized to connect a common link or oblong ringwith the improved draw-head by its insertion in the holes r 7j andthrough the link that should be introduced between these parts.

The draw-barB is bent flatwise to give it the form shown in Fig. l, andwhen inserted in the draw-head, if its shoulder s is interlocked withthe rear edge i of the jaw A', the weight of the draw-bar will causesaid jaw to be held in a depressed condition, and the free end of thedraw-bar will be projected to enter the draw-head it is to be coupledwith, engaging an approaching draw-head that is higher or lower thannormal standard, as lnay be seen in Fig. l.

The device whereby the rocking jaw A is vibrated consists ot a lever D,which is pivotally secured at u on the end wall of the car C, one end uof which lever is vertically aligned with an ear u2 on the lower edge ofthe ilange wall m of the jaw A near its front edge, this end of thelever being connected to said ear loosely by the link-rod E, that visjointed thereto at its end, the other terminal D and thence extendedupwardly to the carroof, where it is loosely connected to one end of atreadle G, which is pivoted near its center of length upon abracket-stand fu', that isV secured upon the roof near the. end wall otthe car, this construction of parts affording means to rock the'jaw Aupwardly when the free end of the treadle is depressed by the foot ofthe trainman, and above the treadle the rod F is sufficiently extendedto permit it to be manipulated for the adj ustment of the jaw. `Upon theouter side of the lever D, on the outwardly-bent end o of the verticalrod F, one end of a latching-bar I is loosely connected, said bar beingperforated at said end to engage the lateral rod extension named. andthence the latching-bar is projected toward the side of the car C,terminating in a handle at the outer end.

Anupright latch-dog l is pivoted at w on the side ot'A the latching-barland lower down on the side of the main lever D, as at w', there being a.portion of the latch-dog upwardly extended above the bar I and providedwith a laterally projectinglocking-pin w2,which may enter either one oftwo or more holes w3, that .are formed in the projecting flange J of akeeper-plate J, so that by the manipulation of the latching-bar l, dogI', and lever D the lower jaw A of the coupling draw-head A. will belooked or released, as may be desired, from the side of' the car, therotative movement of the rod F producing a like result.

Vhen it is desired to detach cars provided with the improved coupling,it is only necessary to vibrate the jaw A, so as to depress its inneredge t" slightly below a horizontal plane, which will release the hookedconnection of the draw-bar with said edge, as indicated in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 6 a simple adjustable device for retaining the jaw A atdifferent points of depression is shown, consisting of a lever M,pivoted on the car-front end at l, having two or more locking-shoulders3 4 cut on the lower edge near the handle end M', which handle islocated near the side of the car-body to permit it to be moved manually.

There is a locking-disk N pivoted at 2 on the front of the car below thelever M, having a laterally-extended toe 5, that is on its upper edge,in a proper relative position to be engaged by either of the shoulders 34 of the lever mentioned, said toe being caused to assume a proper pointbelow the shoulder it is to engage by a rocking movement of the disk onits pivot-bolt 2, so that the jaw A may by reason of its connection withthe end of the lever M through the link E be set to incline more or lessfrom a horizontal position in a downward direction, and thus throw IIOlIZO

the rear'edge of the jaw up or down, as may be required, to hold adraw-bar B properly projected.

Having thus fully described myinveniion, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patentl. The combination, with a draw-head having itslower wall recessed, of a j aw-plate having depending flanges andpivoted by said flanges in the said draw-head, so that it-s inner edgewill be held raised by gravity, substantially as described.

2. The co1nbination,with adraw-head having its lower wall cut away andits upper wall provided with a pin-hole, ot' a jaw-plate havingdepending flanges and a pin-hole, and pivoted by said flanges in thedraw-head, so that its inner edge will be held raised by gravity,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a draw-head having its lower Wall recessed, ofa jaw-plate having depending flanges and pivoted byv said flanges in thesaid draw-head, so that its inner edge will be held raised by gravity,and a draw-bar provided with a hook-shoulder at each end, substantiallyas described.

4. The combination, with a draw-head having its lower wall cut away andits upper Wall provided with a pin-hole, ot' a jaw-plate havingdepending flanges and apin-hole and pivoted by said ilanges in thedraw-head, so that its inner edge will be held raised by gravity, and adraw-bar provided with a hookshoulderat each end and longitudinallyslotted, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a draw-head provided with a vibrating jaw,which jaw is elevated at its inner edge by gravity, of adrawbar havingits body bent to afford a convex lower side and provided with ahook-shoulder near each end on said lower side, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination, with a chambered draw-head having its lower wallslotted from the front end inwardly and spring-supported at its innerend upon timbers of a car, of a flanged jaw pivoted within the draw-headand having its rear edge free,a device to rock and retain the jaw, whichcan be moved from the top or side of a car, and a draw-bar having itsbody convex on the lower side `and provided with a hook-shoulder on eachend, which will interlock with the free inner edge of the jaw,substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a draw-head which is spring-supported on a carat its rear end and is forwardly-chainbered to receivea jaw, and ahanged lower jaw pivoted therein to have its free inner edge normallyelevated by gravity, of a concavo-convex draw-bar having a hook-shoulderon the convex lower side near each end and on each side, a lever pivotedon the car and connected at its inner end by a link to an ear on thedraw-head jaw, a vertical draft-rod loosely secured at its lower end tothe lever and above to a treadle that is pivoted to a bracket-standon'the carroof, and a locking device for the lever and lower jaw,substantially as described.

GABRIEL ROHRBACH.

Witnesses:

JOHN K. PEIRCE, PETER ZEIB.

